Package-fastener.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

F. S. MYERS. PACKAGE FASTENER. APP'LIIGATION FILED FEB. 28, 1908.

U srans PATENT onnion;

FRANK. S. MYERS, Oi REDFIELD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

PACKAGE-FASTENER.

Application filed February 28, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that l, FRANK S. Mrnss, a citizen of'the United States, residing at Red-- field, in the county of Spinh and State of South Dakota, have invented new and useful Package-Fastener, of which the follmving is a specification.

This invention relates to packa e fasteners and more particularly-to that class of fastener especially designed for holding letters and other mail matter in packages or bundles while being transported through the mails.

The object of the ii'iven (ion is to provide a simple and inexpensi' *cc of this character capablewf being cniciily applied to or removed from a bundle of letters or the like and by means of which the letters in the bundle may be securely held against accidental se aration during transportation.

'18. furt'ier object is to provide a package fastener formed from a single piece of wire bent upon itself to produce intersecting arms having means for engagement with a cord,

chain or other flexible binding medium.

' A. still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as .to increase their utility, durability and efficiency.

Further objects and. advantages will ap pear in the following description, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construc tion may be resorted to within the scope of the, ap ended claims. 7

'In' t e accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 is a pers ective view of a package of mail matter sliowifng a fastener constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a erspective view of the fastener detache Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the clamping jaws.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved package fastener forming the subject matter of the present invention is preferably formed from a single piece of wire or other suitable material, one end of which is bent upon itself to form an eye or loop 5 terminating in an arm 6, the wire be ing thence bent upwardl .nd laterally to roduce a guide loop 7 hence extended The loops 7 and 8 in conjunction with the Sp ecification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

Serial No. 418,344.

connecting bar 9 constitute a turning member for the cord, chainor other flexible binder indicated at 10, the wire after the loop 8 is formed being extended transversely across the arm 6 to form an intersecting arm 11, the wire being thence twisted to form superposed coils 12 constituting a clamping member, the end of the wire forming the clamping member being bent around the arm 6 and anchored thereto by means of an eye 13.

The end of the Wire'at the loop 5 is passed through the eye 13 and is bent downwardly in engagement with the arms 11 and 14 to produce an eye 15 thus securely locking the several arms of the fastener at approXimately the center of the latter] In using the fastener one end of the cord 10 is fastened in the eye 5 and thence passed longitudinally around the back of the bundle of mail matter A and over the front thereof, and thence passed under the connecting bar 9 into engagement with the loops 7 and 8, thence passed around the back. of the package and against the front, the end of the cord or chain being wrapped around the bundle one or more times and inserted between the clamping members 12, as best shown in Fig.- 1 of the drawing.

In order to detach the fastener it is merely necessary to exert a slight lateral pull on the free end of the cord 10 when the latter will be released from the clamping members 12 so that the cord together with the fastener may be readily detached from the package of letters. In'Fig. 1 of the drawings the binder is in the form of a cord and in Fig. 2 a chain 16 is illustrated as the binding medium. If desired, however, a leather strap, metal band or the likemay be substituted for the'cord or chain Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Attention is here called to the fact that one side of the upper spring jaw 12 is bent upwardly at a slight angle to the mating jaw so as to assist in guiding the cord or chain between said jaws, that portion of the upper jaw at its j uncture with the arm 17. forming a bearing, surface for engagement with the cord when drawing the same around the bundle or package in the act of tying the latter.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that there is provided an extremely simple, inexpensive and efficient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends '11 view.

1 eye formed in the third arm,

having one end thereof secured to the attach- Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A package fastener having an attaching eye and provided with spaced loops connected by a diagonal bar, said loops and bar constituting a turning member, a binder having one end thereof secured to the eye, and a clamping member disposed on one sideof the turning member for engagement with the opposite end of the binder. V

2. A package fastener having an attaching eye and provided with spaced loops united by adiagonal connecting bar,-said loops and bar forming a turning member, a flexible binder having one end thereof secured to the attaching eye, and a clamping member formed of superposed spring jaws adapted to engage the opposite end of the binder, one of said jaws being disposed at a slight angle to the mating jaw to assist in guiding the binder between the same.

3. A package fastener including a body portion having intersecting arms two of which are formed with loops united by a connecting bar, said loops and bar forming a turning member, an attaching eye formed integral with the body portion, a flexible binder having one end thereof secured to the attaching eye, and a clamping member disposed on one side of the loop and turning member and adapted to engage the opposite end of the binder.

4. A package fastener portion having intersecting arms two of which are bent to form guide loops united-by a diagonal connecting bar, said loops and bar constituting a turning member, an attaching a flexible binder ing loop, and a clamping member carried by a fourth arm and comprising superposed spring including a body jaws adapted to engage the adjacent e'nd of the binder, there being a bearing surface disposed at the juncture of one of the clamping aws and the adjacent arm for contact with the binder.

5. A package fastener formed of a single iece of wire one end of which is bent upon itself to' form an attaching eye and thence bent to produce a plurality of intersecting arms two of which are provided with loops and connectedby a diagonal bar, said loops and diagonal bar forming aturning. member,

a binder having one end thereof secured to the attaching eye, the W116 forming one of the arms being bent to produce a clamping devicefor engagement with the opposite end of the binder.

6. A package fastener formed of asingle piece of wire one end of which is bent to produce an attaching loop and thence extended to form a longitudinal arm terminating in 'an arm and thence bent to form superposed spring clamping jaws,' the end of the wireforming one of the jaws being bent around I the'longitudinal arm to produce an eye, and" forming the end of the attaching the wire loop being extended through said eye and thence bent downwardly in engagement With the transversearm.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- FRANK S. MYERS.

Witnesses G. L. EnIoKsoN, SARA MAoKENzrE. 

